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A tragic incident unfolded in Coal Hill, Arkansas, where a young man, aged 25, faces murder charges following the fatal shooting of a 68-year-old at a local park.
According to Arkansas State Police, the discovery of Kenneth E. Michaels’ body was made by a Coal Hill police officer on Tuesday afternoon at Coal Hill City Park.
Authorities have identified the suspect as Colton T. Contant, who was reportedly seen fleeing the scene. Law enforcement, including Coal Hill officers, state troopers, and Johnson County deputies, promptly apprehended Contant.
He has been charged with first-degree murder and currently remains in the Johnson County jail without the possibility of bail.
Details surrounding the circumstances of the shooting have not been disclosed at this time.
The River Valley Democrat Gazette reported that Contant and 24-year-old Abigail L. Sill were charged in October with domestic battery and endangering the welfare of a child. A no-contact order later barred Sill from contacting Contant, according to court records.
Both are due back in court on December 2. The court records show that Contant and Sill have a 2-year-old child together.
Contant also pleaded guilty in 2022 to second-degree terroristic threatening, obstructing governmental operations and harassing communications charges, according to Crawford County court records. He was sentenced to 12 months in jail with 11 of them suspended and ordered to have no contact with Sill, who was the victim.